1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a storage system used to store objects, and, more particularly, to a storage system used in an outdoor environment.
2. Description of Related Art
People enjoy many outdoor activities, such as water activities involving boats, such as canoeing, rowing, water-skiing, fishing and so forth. In participating in such water activities, an individual must deal with the fact that water, while necessary for the intended activity, is often detrimental to any personal effects he or she may be carrying, including wallets, watches, keys, printed matter, food, electronic items, and bottles or cans of insect repellent, sunscreen and the like. Particularly in canoeing, in which there is always an increased possibility of capsizing, as compared to other types of boating, an individual constantly has the nagging responsibility of trying to maintain the dryness of his or her personal belongings.
To deal with this situation, various strategies have been employed. Some individuals simply minimize the personal belongings taken into the boat, keeping only essential items, such as keys, with them during the activity. While effective to a degree, this approach often results in personal hardship and/or deprivation to the user. Moreover, the determination of essentialness may vary from person to person, and may even vary for the same person within a given day. For example, sunscreen that was determined to be non-essential in the morning may be re-evaluated to be essential as a blistering sunburn develops, and snack items that were foregone early in the day may become more important as the boating excursion extends beyond the planned return time.
Other individuals place their personal belongings in waterproof containers, such as watertight coolers or sealable plastic containers, and keep these containers with them in the boat. While effective at keeping items dry, this approach reduces precious leg-room in the boat. Furthermore, if the boat does capsize, the individuals become immediately preoccupied with righting the boat, and have little time or ability to retrieve the container. The containers may in some cases be tied to the boat to prevent their separation from the boat at the time of capsizing. However, if there is more than one container, or if the container is not configured with a through-hole or other structure to receive the tying member, this may not be feasible. Additionally, if only one or two watertight containers are available, it is inevitable that it/they will end up holding the personal belongings of everyone in the boat, making it difficult to locate and/or retrieve one's personal belongings when desired.